of Queen Matilda's cause, in the civil war between the king and queen. The castle was also visited by King John in 1205. The castle was demolished by its owner, Sir John Newton, in the reign of Henry VIII. Wade and Wade in their 1929 book Somerset described it: "On an inaccessible tongue of land at the far end of the gorge are the remains of Richmont Castle, one of those lawless strongholds which in the days of Stephen were a terror to the country side. In 1138 it was strongly garrisoned by its owner, William de Harptree, on behalf of the Empress Matilda, but was taken by Stephen by the ruse of a feigned repulse. Now, only a fragment of the keep overlooks the glen." Some earthworks are still visible but partially covered by the undergrowth. References Further reading Thompson, H. Stewart (1916) The vegetation of Harptree Combe Journal of Botany vol. 54 pp. 295–97 Bath and North East Somerset Mendip Hills Sites of Special Scientific Interest in Avon Sites of Special Scientific Interest notified in 1954 Canyons and gorges of England